


The PL Pokeshifter AU

by Spadder101



Category: Layton Kyouju Series | Professor Layton Series
Genre: Body Horror, FINALLY I GET TO PUSH MY SHIFTER BULLSHIT ONTO PEOPLE, IT HURTS TRUST ME, NOW I HAVENT WRITTEN MUCH AT ALL FOR THIS, POKEMON AU POKEMON AU POKEMON AU, Painful shifting, SO LIKE BEAR WITH ME OR WHATEVER, Violence, how would i describe this, i mean you can CLEARLY see i like the dystopia au more than anything, that sounds right
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-22
Updated: 2018-03-02
Packaged: 2019-03-22 15:23:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13766973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spadder101/pseuds/Spadder101
Summary: Pokeshifters have always existed, since the very beginning of the Pokemon world. Some regions are more accepting of others, and some shifters are less violent than others.That aside, one thing remains true for shifters. There's always someone who wants you dead. It doesn't really help that shifting is painful for the person, and can cause a drastic change in the way they act.





	1. FOREWARNING / SHIFT POKEMON

THIS IS A LIST OF ALL THE POKEMON THAT EACH CHARACTER CAN SHIFT INTO (THIS IS NOT FINISHED)

 **Clive** : Cobalion, Trevenant, Absol, Bisharp

 **Hershel** : Dialga, Ampharos, Noctowl, Sawsbuck

 **Luke** : Azelf, Rockruff, Eevee, Zigzagoon

 **Flora** : Mesprit, Clefairy, Leafeon, Togetic

 **Emmy** : Uxie, Lopunny, Emolga, Nidoqueen

 **Descole** : Palkia, Decidueye, Shedinja, Hydreigon

 **Leon Fucking Brony** : Giratina, Cacturne,

 **Randall** : Groudon, Yamask, Alolan Marowak, Rampardos

 **Henry** : Kyogre, Slurpuff, Stoutland, Skiddo

 **Angela** : Rayquaza, Aromatisse,

 **Crow** : Hoopa, Honchkrow,

 **Badger** : Xurkitree, Whimsicott, Murkrow,

 **Socket** : Stakataka, Dedenne, Murkrow,

 **Wren** : Celesteela, Fletchinder, Murkrow,

 **Scraps** : Blacephalon, Bunnelby, Murkrow,

 **Roddy** : Poipole, Scraggy, Murkrow,

 **Gus** : Guzzlord, Munchlax, Murkrow,

 **Marilyn** : Nihilego, Murkrow,

 **Louis** : Kartana, Ambipom, Murkrow,

 **Janice** : Celebi, Chatot, Altaria, Milotic

 **Melina** : Meloetta, Chatot, Noivern, Lapras

 **Aurora** : Magearna, Komala, Aurorus, Alolan Vulpix

 **Anton** : Yveltal, Swanna(?),

 **Katia** : Xerneas

 **Clark** : Regirock, Barbaracle,

 **Brenda** : Regice(?), Swellow, Combee,

 **Alfendi** : Lunala, Monferno, Sableye, Toxicroak

 **Katrielle** : Solgaleo, Fennekin, Mienshao, Simisage

 **Bloom** : Darkrai, Serperior, Liepard,

 **Claire** : Jirachi, Floatzel

 

THIS IS A FOREWARNING FOR EACH CHAPTER:

 **Fucking shifting, dude** : MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF PAIN, body horror, physically growing wings/horns, blood

 **Burst Hearts? No**   **thanks:** child abuse? i think?, violence, swords

 **Forced shifting fun** : Mild gore warning i suppose?, mentions of murder


	2. Fucking shifting, dude

Shifting hurt. It hurt a  _ lot _ , mostly depending on the Pokemon that someone was shifting into. Many Pokeshifters tried to only shift into Pokemon they knew wouldn’t hurt them much. Unfortunately, the only Pokemon Clive could shift into hurt  _ fuckloads. _ Literally none of them were easy to shift into.

 

Worst part was, because of how unpredictable Clive was, he could shift whenever and wherever. This made keeping his shifting nature a secret  _ very _ hard. Actually giving a shit about hiding it sometimes was very hard, too.

 

It must have been the middle of the night, Clive had been staying with Luke and Layton, and he’d lurched awake, a loud ringing in his skull. What had followed was  _ severely _ unenjoyable. A wave of sickness passed over him, and Clive had gotten out of bed instantly, but couldn’t move any further than being on his hands and knees in the middle of his room.

 

He tried to scratch at the floor with what little nails he had- it was getting to the point that his fingertips were raw and bleeding- and he pushed himself off of his knees and onto his toes, which were also trying to scratch at the floor.

 

Clive was lucky he was wearing nothing more than his boxers, because it would have been painful to tear his clothing off with bleeding fingers. His entire body felt like it was on fire, there was a terrible pain spiking through two  _ particular _ points on his shoulder blades- his fingers were getting harder, and he could hear himself scratching the wooden floor harder. It was leaving marks, now.

 

The sides of his head felt like they were being repeatedly hit with a pole, his right side hurting particularly more. He tilted his head to the right, and suddenly let out a piercing scream. It sounded as if a chasm to hell had split open and demons were streaming out of it.

 

His back hunched more, and he felt his skin splitting. As his scream faltered, Clive realized he could hear something else moving aside from him. Unfortunately, he couldn’t really react to it. He was completely paralyzed by the pain that he was in- that and what he was turning into.

 

Something was dripping down the side of his head, making his hair stick to his face. Next, Clive felt his entire body start prickling as if sharp, needle-like hairs were forcing their way out.

 

That was what was happening.

 

In the blood that had pooled under his face, Clive could see a bone-like protrusion coming out the sides of his skull. Suddenly, the prickling focused entirely on his back, and Clive let out yet another scream, this one louder, more pained than the last.

 

Whoever was in the house was sure to have heard that.

 

His now-clawed hands scratched violently at the floor, and Clive’s second scream descended into a pained whine. He heard someone fiddling with the door- he was lucky to hear it over the pounding in his skull and his rough breathing- and he hoped upon everything that it wasn’t Luke.

 

Not only did he not want him to know that he was a shifter, but he didn’t want him to see what he was certain was about to come next. A faint glance upwards told him that whatever he’d hoped on wasn’t on his side.

 

Luke peeked through the door, and instantly, Clive  _ screamed _ for him to leave. It wasn’t enough. Luke froze the moment he saw Clive.

 

Clive was growling now- he didn’t want to be, he needed to scream, he thought- and he luckily got that wish. As the large white wings tore through his back, Clive’s screech may as well have split reality in two. It was loud enough to make Luke feel lightheaded and become disoriented. The bone protrusions smashed through the side of Clive’s head, and he screamed louder again.

 

By now, the area around Clive was bathed in blood. The once-white fur was stained pinky-red by blood, his claws were digging holes into the wooden floor, and Clive wished the pain would finally end.

 

It did not.

 

From his elbows came sharp spikes that basically cut through his skin- the same happened to the back of his heels- but he didn’t make any sound. Compared to the pain he had just experienced, this was nothing.

 

Until something started to stab through the base of his back.

 

He felt as if something was sawing through the base of his spine, or that perhaps something was  _ growing _ out of it as violently as he could. His screech picked up again, and his claws dug harder and harder into the wood- he tilted his head down, jamming the horn protrusions from his head into the floor too- and started to scream louder and louder.

 

Luke hadn’t shut the door, but was curled up just outside it, his hands covering his sensitive ears- Rockruff weren't meant to be close to loud sounds. The sheer power of the screeching was making Luke almost turn more Rockruff-like- he didn’t want that to happen, especially not here.

 

Of course, Hershel had come to check on what the noise was. He hadn’t made much attempt to hide his Ampharos side, and upon seeing Luke at the door, crying, he realized that something terrible must have been going on. Hershel picked Luke up, moving him further away from the room, and burst through the door.

 

He’d expected to see Clive in his bed, simply having a nightmare of sorts, but what he saw  was nothing like that.

 

Clive was half-conscious in a pool of his own blood, leant awkwardly on his left side. He looked more like a Mega Absol than anything else, and the pinky-red fur was getting stained a deeper red the more he lay there. He wasn’t screaming anymore.

 

He didn’t really seem able to move at all.

 

“Clive!” Hershel ran towards him, wincing slightly as he stepped in blood.

 

“P-Professor…?” Clive looked up slightly, panting heavily. “D-don’t come near me… I don’t want to… hurt you…”

 

He made a feeble attempt to push himself away from Hershel, but it didn't come to much. Hershel supposed that was as much as he could do at this point.

 

“You won't hurt me, Clive. I know that.”

 

Hershel moved close to Clive again, gently helping him to stand on all fours. He was slightly wobbly, swaying just a little before he moved again. This time it was a movement backwards- he was trying to keep himself away from Hershel.

 

“You  _ don't  _ know that, Professor! I'm an unpredictable  **_disaster_ ** _!”  _ he snarled, trying to back himself further away.

 

In all of this, Luke had come back to the doorway, and he very slowly made his way into the room. The shouting hurt, but not as much as the screaming had.

 

“Clive, you  _ need _ help, and I'm offering to help you.”

 

“Who are  _ you  _ to tell me what  _ I  _ need?!”

 

“Professor? Clive?” Luke had moved to beside Hershel.

 

As soon as Clive was aware of Luke, he made more of an effort to stay away from them both.

 

Unfortunately, the ringing in his skull was getting louder. He was struggling to concentrate, to hear what either of them was saying, to even stand. Clive fell back onto his left side, completely unconscious.

 

Hershel gently lifted him up, motioning to Luke for him to put Clive’s blanket under him. He placed Clive back down once he knew he would be softer, safer, and he led Luke out of the room.

 

“We’ll help him when he wakes up again.”


	3. Burst Hearts? No thanks.

Burst hearts. Who needs a Burst Heart when you’re a Pokeshifter?

 

Anyone who wants to look like they’re not a Pokeshifter, apparently. Revealing himself mattered very little to Clive, and that was why he was currently running through the streets of Castelia, following what sounded like a distressed Rockruff.

 

‘ _ Luke. _ ’ had been his initial thought.

 

He wasn’t sure what he’d shift into as he got there- if he was to shift at all. He’d likely need to so that Luke wasn’t the center of attention.

 

He just hoped it wasn’t Cobalion. Clive didn’t care how much pain any of the other shifts would put him in, he just didn’t want anyone to know he was a Cobalion.

 

Unfortunately, a searing pain through his skull told him that it was likely he was to turn into Cobalion. Shaking his head slightly as he ran, as if it would make much difference, Clive finally focused on Luke, who was backed against a building by Team Neo Plasma grunts.

 

Oh how Clive  _ loathed _ Neo Plasma.

 

Tightening his hands into fists as he ran, Clive immediately went for an attack. He slid in front of Luke, punching the closest grunt in the stomach. Balancing on one foot, Clive nudged Luke to the left, trying to urge him to run.

 

Luke ran a short distance, to the end of the street, and watched. 

 

Clive felt like his head was splitting open, and it… kind of was.

 

He wondered if Burst Hearts hurt this much.

 

As the horns spiked through his skull, Clive had to bite back a shout, instead jumping away from Neo Plasma and getting himself back onto both feet- which now looked a little more like hooves. Or boots, depending on your angle. They sounded like hooves.

 

“A shifter! I knew something was up with him!” one of the Neo Plasma grunts shouts, pointing at Clive.

 

Clive scowled back. “Something’s up with your whole organisation, picking on people like us.”

 

The Neo Plasma grunts just laughed, and Clive glanced back, watching Luke run from the end of the streets, away from him.

 

‘ _ For the best. He needs to get somewhere safe. _ ’

 

As Clive turned back, a Neo Plasma grunt lunged for him, and Clive punched out, hitting him in the stomach again. Clive jumped back again. He needed more space between him and the four Neo Plasma grunts. Or… he needed to be close.

 

Nodding his head slightly, a blade formed in Clive’s hands, and he lunged forward, swinging it at the Plasma grunts, and they panicked.  _ Clearly  _ they were going to take it more seriously now they knew that Clive was dangerous, and a slight smirk hit Clive’s face.

 

“Reconsidering your decision?” Clive spun the sword in his hand, jumping back again.

 

The grunts seemed to glance at each other, before standing in a formation, a semicircle around Clive. He frowned, standing with the sword back in a fighting position, ready to leap at whoever came close enough.

 

That didn’t happen.

 

A bolt of lightning struck next to the rightmost grunt, who jumped in panic, and ran away.

 

Clive very almost jumped back in surprise, but he managed to stay resolute. The other grunts glanced at where their friend had been, before back at Clive. He passed the sword from his right hand into his left and lunged forwards again, swiping from right to left and hitting the grunts. Continuing his momentum, he spun around as quickly as he could, putting both hands onto the sword and trying to slash the side of the sword into the leftmost grunt.

 

A ball of lightning flew past Clive’s face, narrowly missing him and making his hair stand on end, and collided with the other two grunts, who, as soon as they stood up, ran off. The last grunt, the one Clive was fighting, clutched his wounds tightly, and ran off too.

 

The sword faded from Clive’s hands, and he glanced behind him, seeing Hershel stood at the end of the street, Luke beside him. Surprisingly, his Ampharos was nowhere to see. Clive had expected it to be out, what with the lightning attacks.

 

Spinning on his hooves, Clive walked towards Hershel and Luke- he noticed how tall he stood, how he held himself. He felt justified. He felt powerful.

 

Luke seemed very small currently. In fact- so did Hershel. Was Clive taller?

 

“Thank you for that help, Professor. It made that encounter end much faster than I could have done.” Clive smiled slightly, but it came off a little more toothy than he had planned.

 

“Why are you so tall-?!” Luke was craning his neck to look at Clive’s face.

 

He was  _ definitely _ standing taller than them both.

 

“Hm. Must’ve been because of my shift. I thought you seemed small.”

 

“Being a Legendary Pokemon is no simple matter, Clive. I think it would be best if the three of us went somewhere more private.”

 

“Well, where to, Professor? I’m sure I could carry Luke so he can keep up with us.”

 

“Hey-! I can keep up with you, for sure!”

 

“With legs that short, I’m afraid I’ll be able to bound straight over you!” Clive leant down and smiled again, and Luke just pouted. “I’m sorry, Luke.”

 

“Just back to Nacrene City. Try not to run off in Pinwheel Forest again, Luke.”

 

“I won’t, Professor!”


	4. forced shifting fun

Of  _ course _ the Neo Plasma had been looking for a way to out shifters. Perhaps he should have stuck to living somewhere more remote, like Hershel did, in Celestic Town. It would have kept him safer, in the long run. Well, that and if he didn’t have a tendency to get involved in fights.

 

But this was different.

 

Now, it was a collective against a common enemy. Clive was stood alongside Hershel, Luke, Flora, and some others who he’d been told were Emmy, Descole, Randall and Henry. He didn’t know much about them. From what Clive knew, he was the only Legendary there, and he was barely that.

 

No one counted the Swords of Justice as Legendary Pokemon.

 

Clive was stood in front of Luke, trying to protect him from whatever was about to happen. If the Government of Unova had figured how to force a shift, then they could find out  _ all _ the shifters in Unova. And- what would they force a shift into? The strongest Pokemon, or what?

 

There seemed to be mutual fear about what they’d be force shifted into.

 

All of a sudden, a loud ringing noise took over Clive’s skull. He put a hand up to it, glancing to the side and seeing Hershel wincing at the sound. At a look back, Clive could tell that everyone could hear it.

 

Sharp pain that took over  _ most _ of Clive’s body told him that he  _ wasn’t _ shifting into Cobalion. No, he was going into a much more painful shift.

 

Bisharp.

 

Trying to turn his focus away, he looked over to everyone else. Luke appeared to be shifting into Zigzagoon, but he quickly had to turn away as a bright flash shone into his eyes. He recognised it slightly to be the same shine as a mega evolution, and he wondered who it was. Then came something else. Sunlight seemed to be glittering off of Hershel, and  _ instantly _ , Clive realized he wasn’t the only Legendary shifter here.

 

Hershel was Dialga.

 

Clive actually stumbled slightly as he continued to shift- for a few moments he’d forgotten he was even doing so- spinning back to where he had been facing before. In his spin, he’d seen a Hydreigon, a Clefairy and a Mega Lopunny- the other two he’d seen, he didn’t recognise.

 

Hershel seemed to be in a lot of pain from his shift, and Clive moved over to him as fast as he could, trying not to overbalance, and standing in front of him. Clearly he didn’t shift Dialga much, he didn’t seem to know how to cope with the pain. Clive, however, had shifted Bisharp many times, and could ignore the pain- to an extent.

 

Luke seemed to quickly follow, standing alongside Clive. Another quick glance back, and Clive watched the Hydreigon- he could now recognise it to be Descole- fly forwards, towards the ship that was hovering above the city. The one that had forced them to shift.

 

Team Neo Plasma’s ship.

 

It would take a bit of climbing to get up there, and Clive wasn’t sure if his shift would allow him to get up. However, he noticed how the ship was beginning to lower. It was aiming for the pier  _ behind _ them, and as it settled into the water, the splash it sent up rose onto the pier, and Randall seemed to flinch away from it. He looked somewhat like a Marowak, but the bone was on fire.

 

Clive didn’t know what kind of Pokemon he, or Henry was.

 

Henry looked soft. And  _ pink _ . It was strange to see it, but he didn’t seem to be in pain, so Clive ignored it. Moving to the other side of Hershel- who was still shifting, mind you- Clive mentally noted what Pokemon Neo Plasma appeared to have. There were Dark types, Ground types and Poison types.

 

Clive was only good against one of those, and he was weak to another. This  _ wasn’t _ going to end well.

 

Shaking his head and running forward, Clive aimed a hit at the closest Grunt he could reach. Emmy appeared to be kicking people over while Flora dealt with their Pokemon, Luke was still protecting Hershel as he turned, Randall and Henry were working together, swapping between taking hits and dealing them, while Descole spewed fire across the ship.

 

Honestly, he hadn’t expected something this big. Clive wasn’t sure if he wanted to be painted as a murderer as well- being a Pokeshifter was enough to make people hate him, but  _ killing people? _ Clive had nowhere else to go but Unova. He’d be arrested quickly, spend the rest of his days in jail-

 

His reluctance to fight earned him a hit on the head from- Hershel? Once he’d recovered from that, he glanced at Hershel, who was standing much taller than before. Much taller than  _ him _ . Then, Clive turned back to the battle at hand. He still  _ really _ wasn’t sure about this.

 

The battle continued around him, and he stood, overwhelmed, at the side. His internal conflict had made him completely frozen, and the knives retracted from his gauntlets.

 

“Clive! What are you doing?!” Luke ran over to him and nudged part of his arm that wasn’t sharp.

 

“I-I don’t want to be a murderer! Unova hates me enough-”

 

“Then step out of the battle, Bisharp boy!” Descole shouted at him from the air. “Either you fight, or you run!”

 

Fight, get arrested, die in jail? Or run, hide, probably get arrested later and do the same- but without fighting for what he stood for? Putting it like that, it seemed simple to Clive.

 

He dashed forwards, slamming the flatter part of his knife-hand into a Neo Plasma Grunt’s chest. Now, he wasn’t aiming to  _ kill _ , but he was aiming to hurt them enough that they’d leave them alone. It was getting pretty messy already, fainted Pokemon lying about on Prime Pier, unconscious Neo Plasma Grunts beside them, and Plasma Frigate looked to be in worse condition than it had been when it arrived. The fire that Descole had caused on it had weakened it, and now, Neo Plasma was panicking.

 

Grunts were trying to get back on the ship, which was readying to fly off- and Clive realized that  _ they _ should probably hightail it out of there.

 

“Professor!” Clive turned and shouted to Hershel. “We should get out of here!”

 

“Knifeboy’s right! Where do we go?” Descole flew back over to them, and Hershel seemed to take a few moments to think.

 

“We could go to Nacrene. It’s safe for Pokeshifters there.” Hershel began to walk, his wide strides leaving everyone behind.

 

Everyone followed behind him, bar Clive, who looked back at the battle scene for a few moments more.

 

“Arceus above- what’s happening to this region?” Clive stepped backwards slightly, before shaking his head, running after Hershel.

 

They’d definitely have to discuss a way to keep themselves hidden from Plasma, especially if they knew how to force shifts. It could be dangerous for  _ everyone, _ not just Shifters.


End file.
